Detachable crotch undergarment



March 8, 1949. G. L. DIEBOLD DETAGHABLE CROTCH UNDERGARMENT Filed Feb. 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 IN VEN TOR. C760 :gel. flMoZd,

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March 8, '1949.

G. L. DIEBOLD DETAGHABLE CROTCH UNDERGARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb.

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' of bunching caused chafing or other discomfort Patented Mar. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETACHABLE CROTCH UNDERGARMENT George L. Diebold, Chicago, 111., assignor to Venus Foundation Garments, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application February 1, 1946, Serial No. 644,830

5'Claims.

This invention relates to'womens undergarments and more particularly to a girdle, corset or the'like having a detachable crotch piece.

It has been long recognized in womens undergarments and particularly with respect to girdles and corsets comprised of elastic material, that itwas desirable to have a detachable crotch piece which could be readily removed for laundering or for replacement with a fresh, unsoiled crotch piece or for other purposes. Such detachability "of the crotch piece'obviated the necessity of frequently laundering the'entire garment and thereby prolonged the useful life thereof. Consequent- 1y, numerous attempts have been made to devise a detachable crotch piece for such undergarments, but in the main such attempts have proven --somewhat unsatisfactory and only partially successful.

Some of such prior crotchpieces were attached tot-he main body portions of the undergarments in such complicated manners or by such complicated means which often were placed in positions relatively unaccessible to the wearer, that their detachment was rendered extremely difiicult and inconvenient. while being readily detachable, were in fact so much so that they tended to become unfastened from the undergarmentwhile being worn, due to the inability of the fasteners to withstand .the

wearing stresses and strains resulting from bodily movements of the wearer while walking or sitting. Such fasteners were placed in securing position without appreciation of the angles or directions of stress so that the crotch piece became disengaged from the garment to the discomfort of the wearer. In other instances, the fasteners were disposed in the front or back of the garments in such manners as to cause unsightly bulges or projections through the outer garment or as to be in a position to cause dis:

comfort to the wearer whilesitting.

In addition, and perhaps the greatest source of failure of the prior undergarments having detachable crotch pieces, 'wasthe fact that the crotch pieces were much too bulky anddid not conform to thecontours of-the crotch while being worn. They comprised, as shown for instance in the Miller Patent No. 2,070,515 .and inthe Bootz Patent 'No.. 2,074,975, .flat one-piece elements of various perimetral shapes which when:

worn became wrinkled or bunched up ina variety irregular gatherings. Such wrinkling or to the wearer, which discomfort was greater in Other crotch pieces,

"the case of a fleshy person, with the result thaw- 5 the crotch pieces were often discarded entirely to eliminate the source of irritation and discomfort. To overcome such wrinkling or folding, it Was attempted toprovide various means to hold the crotch pieces in extended position, such means including conventional fastening means or elastic leg bands. However, such means failed to accomplish their intended purpose in that they still permitted the crotch piece to slip or fold under the various stresses occasioned by the wearers bodily movement.

It is, therefore, an'object of the present invention to provide an improved crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to a womans undergarment,'such as a girdle, corset or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide 'an undergarment for women, such as a girdle,

against the wearers legs without bunching or gathering.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved undergarment of the foregoing character having a'preformed crotch-conforming crotch piece provided with fastening means so positioned with respect to said garment that it may be readily attached to or detached from the garment by the wearer and which at the same time is capable of successfully resisting the "stresses and strains resulting from bodily movements of the wearer while walking or sitting and tending to unfasten the crotch piece from the garment.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved 'undergarment of the foregoing character having a preformed crotch piece that is secured to the garment in such a manner and by suchmeans that an outer garment may lie substantially fiat or smooth thereover without an unsightly bulge and no discomfort is caused thereby to the wearer either while walking or sitting.

. in. extended .and unwrinkled position at all times :while being worn.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as this description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a dl with an improved detachable crotch piece comprising the present invention secured in position thereon and illustrated in position on the body;

Fig. 2 is a rear e-levational view of a portion of the girdle and the crotch piece shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevational View of the improved crotch piece in the position shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating the relative position of the crotch piece to the crotch opening of the girdle shown in broken lines;

Fi 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the girdle and crotch piece illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the girdle shown in Fig. 1 but illustrated with the improved crotch piece removed therefrom;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the improved preshaped crotch piece comprising the present invention and illustrated in the unwrinkled and ungathered position it assumes when mounted in position on a girdle when being worn;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the improved crotch piece illustrated in detached position on a flat surface; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the two sections of the preshaped crotch piece prior to their being joined together as a unitary crotch piece.

The improved crotch piece I comprising the present invention and illustrated specifically in Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, of the drawings is preshaped and is adapted to be secured to an undergarment such as a girdle i on a wearers body, in such a manner that it remains unwrinkled and ungathered and substantially conforms to the contours of the wearers crotch and to the sides of the wearers legs in the operative position shown in Fig. 7. Th crotch piece I6 is comprised of two sections II and I2 secured together along their adjacent or opposed longitudinal edges I3 and I4 such as by stitching, indicated by the numeral I6 in Figs. '7 and 8. The sections I I and I2 may be cut from a piece of elastic or inelastic material in the shape shown Fig. 9 so as to be provided with inwardly curving longitudinal edges I 3 and I4, respectively, on their adjacent sides and with outwardly curving longitudinal edges I! and I8, respectively, on their other or remote sides. The front and rear edges I9 and and 2| and 22 of the sections II and I 2 are straight and ar inclined inwardly and upwardly from the remote longitudinal edges I! and I8 toward the inner longitudinal edges I3 and I4 thereof. Each of the sections II and I2 are also provided with short inclined edges 23 and 24 and 25 and 21, respectively, which are angularly disposed between the edges I9, 20 and I3, respectively, and 2i, 22 and I4, respectively.

After the sections I I and I2 have been cut out in the perimetral outline as above described and shown in Fig. 9, they may be stitched together along their curved longitudinal edges I3 and I4, after which the edges I1, I9, 20, 23 and 24 of the section I! and the edges IB, 2|, 22, 26 and 21 of the section I2 may be folded over inwardly a slight distance and stitched down to provide hemmed edges. Thus, as assembled, the preshaped crotch piece Ill is provided with two curved outer longitudinal edges I1 and I8, upwardly and inwardly inclined straight edges 20 and 22 and I9 and 2|, straight horizontal edges 28 and 29 at its front and rear ends, respectively, and a curving or concave central longitudinal portion I6 which curves under the crotch from front to rear.

The crotch piece ID is also provided with fastening means for detachably securing it to the girdle I5, which means comprises a plurality of hooks 30 carried by reinforcing and covering tabs 3| which in turn are stitched to the top surface of the crotch piece ID, the hooks 30 being adapted to detachably engage a plurality of eyes 32 carried by the girdle I5 at the front and rear thereof. As shown particularly in Figs. 3, '7 and 8 of the drawings, the hooks 30 are spaced apart in groups of threes at the front and rear of the crotch piece I0, hooks 30 being adjacent the uppermost edges 28 and 29 and the other hooks 30 being spaced downwardly and outwardly therefrom adjacent the corners formed by the intersection of the inclined edges I9 and 2I and 20 and 22 with the curved outer longitudinal edges I7 and I8, respectively. It is to be noted that each of the uppermost hooks 30 adjacent the edges 28 and 29 at the front and rear of the crotch piece I 3 is directed downwardly and that each of the hooks 3t adjacent the aboVe-identified corners is also directed downwardly but somewhat inwardly so as to be angularly disposed with respect to the uppermost hook 30 and also with respect to each other.

As shown in Fig. 8, the crotch piece I 0 in completed form is incapable of lying flat on a level surface but because of its shape and manner of construction, being composed of sections I I and I2 stitched together along inner curved edges, it necessarily resolves itself into folds, indicated by the numeral 33, intermediate its ends. However. when the crotch piece III is extended, as shown in Fig. '7, into the position it normally would assume when secured to a girdle on a wearers body so that the ends thereof are elevated and spread, it is entirely devoid of wrinkles or folds or gatherings over its entire surface, since it conforms substantially to the natural overall contours of the human crotch and is maintained in extended position and in flush-fitting relation to the wearers legs by the spaced fastening means above referred to and described in more detail hereinafter.

.9 The improved crotch piece I0 may be detachably secured to any one of a variety of conventional types of open crotch undergarments, but for the purposes of this description it has been illustrated as applied to a girdle I5 having an open crotch and commonly known as a panty girdle. The girdle I5, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, comprises generally front panels 36 and 37, rear panels 38 and 39, side panels 40 and 4|, and a closure member d2 of the conventional slide fastener type. These panels 36 to 4!, inclusive, comprising the girdle unit may be composed of elastic or inelastic material in varying combinations depending upon the desired cost and ultimate characteristics of the garment, wherein some panels may be elastic and others inelastic and the elastic panels may be stretchable either in a vertical or horizontal direction or both. The inner bottom corners of the front panels 36 and 31 and the rear panels 38 and 39 are cutaway in an inverted V-shape, thereby providing downwardly and outwardly inclined edges 48 and 49 and 50 and 5| at the front and rear thereof. It is to be noted that the angles of inclination of the edges I3 and 2| and 20 and 22 of the crotch piece III are substan- 'posed of elastic or inelastic material.

"the inclined edges 48 and 49 of the cut. larly at the back of the girdle !5, an eye 32'is "secured to the rear panels 38 and 39 at the top "stitched together in preshaping it.

'tially at the same angles and conform to the corresponding inclined edges wand 48 of the front panels" 36 and 3'! and the inclined edges 53 and of the rear panels 38 and 39.

"As shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the lower inclined edges 49 and 58 of the front and rear panels 3'! and 3B and the lower inclined edges 48 and 5! of the front and rear panels 36 and "39 are connected by inner leg-forming bands 43 and 44, respectively, which may also be com- Theleg bands 43 and 44 are each cut away at their upper portions, as indicated by the numerals lfi and 4? in Fig. 6 of the drawings, so as to provide an open crotch.

The eyes 32 of the detachable fastening means are spaced apart and secured to the front and rear of the girdle l5 relative to each other in a "manner corresponding to the spacing and-arrangement of hooks 313 on the end portions of "the crotch piece Ill, an eye 32 being secured to the front panels 36 and 31 at the top of the V-shaped cut thereof and eyes 32 being spaced downwardly and outwardly from the top eye alon Simi-- of the /-shaped cut thereof with two more eyes 32 being spaced downwardly and outwardly from the rear top eye along the inclined edges 50 and 5! of the rear cut.

The girdle 15 above described may be worn, if desired, as an open crotch garment Without the crotch piece Ill as illustrated in Fig. 6; or the crotch may be closed or covered by means of the improved crotch piece it which may be readily secured to the girdle it by inserting the spaced hooks 30 through the spaced eyes 32 at the front and rear thereof. The crotch piece In maybe detachably secured to the girdle l5 before the girdle is put on by the wearer, but it may "with ease be so secured even after the girdle is in position on the body. The eyes 32 present themselves in positions at the front and rear of the girdle 15 that are readily accessible to the wearer, thereby facilitating the attachment or detachment of the crotch piece Ill.

When the crotch piece Hi is secured in operable crotch closing position on the girdle I5 on the body of the wearer, it will assume theposifolded only in operable position whereas wrinkles and folds do appear, as shown in Fig. 8, when in The intermediate portionsany other position. of the crotch piece sections H and 12 extend downwardly and lie flush against the inner portions of the wearers legs, thereby covering the open crotch formed by the openings .46 and 41 of the inner leg bands 43 and M and overlapping to some extent those portions of the leg bands 43 and 44 below the openings 53 and 41 thereof. However, the sections II and i2 of the crotch piece H) are of a width sufiicient only to insure a slight overlapping of the leg bands 43 and 44 so as to prevent their extending downwardly more than is necessary and thereby causing undue bulk between the wearers legs.

The front and rear top hooks 30 serve to retain the crotch piece IE! on the girdle 15 while thd-lowendownwardly and outwardly spaced hooks 36 not only serve to secure the crotch piece "ID to the girdle I5 but also maintain the crotch piece id in spread or extended position, the lower hooks 33 beingadj-acent the outer or lower longi "tudinal edges IT and [8. The crotch piece [0 is thus held in spread or extended condition in the crotch-against wrinkling or folding which -nor "mally tends to result frombodily movement of the wearer. The lower edge portions H and 18 of the sections II and ['2 of the crotch piece are caused to lie flat against the inner surfaces of the wearers legs while the upper front and rear "portions thereof are spread smoothly over the crotch opening and blend in with the curving front portion of the girdle l5 so as to cover the contours of the girdle, thereby permitting the "outer garment of the wearer to lie fiat thereover without presenting unsightly bulges. tion ofthe hooks 3i! and eyes 32 is also such that The posithey are positioned within the beginning of the sloping hollows formed at the front and rear top portions of the'crotch, and thus the fastening means do not project outwardly beyond the general vertical plane of the girdle when on the wearers bodyand the wearer is not caused to sit .on them.

" Although the crotch piece l9 may be readily detached from the girdle 15 when desired, de-

tachment thereof will never occur through inadvertence due to'the body movement of the wearer. The spaced and angular relative arrangezment of the hooks'30 on the crotch piece It] and of the eyes 32 on-the girdle i5 is such that the hooks and eyes remain in engagement at all times I regardless of the degree of stress or strain resulti-ng from-bodily movement'or from different bodily positions and regardless of the angle at which the stresses or strains may be exerted thereagainst.

Although there has been shown in the drawings anddescribedabove one preferred embodi- '-ment of my invention, it will be apparent that variations an d modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles -of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the following claims to include within the scope of theinvention all such variations and modifications by which the results of the invention may be substantially obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

Iclaim:

1. A'crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to an undergarment and to be maintainedthereon without wrinkling or folding when said undergarment is bei worn comprising two fabric sections; each section having an upper longitudinal edge curving inwardly and downwa-rdly from its end portions to substantially conform to the curvature of center line of the wearers crotch, bottom longitudinal edge curvin downwardly from its end portions so as d diagonally upwardly on the wearers front and rear thereof and straight edges'at the front rear-thereof inclined upwardlyand inwardly from said bottom longitudinal edge toward said upper longitudinal edge, said seotionsbeing secured. to each other along their curving upper longitudinal edges,

and fastening means carried on the front and rear'portions of complemental sections and adapted to be detachably engaged with cooperating fastening means on an undergarment at the lower portions of the front and rear thereof.

2. A crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to an undergarment and to be maintained thereon without wrinkling or folding when said undergarment is being worn comprising two fabric sections, each section having an upper longitudinal edge curving inwardly and downwardly from its end portions to substantially conform to the curvature of the center line of the wearers crotch, a bottom longitudinal edge curving downwardly from its end portions so as to extend diagonally upwardly on the wearers legs at the front and rear thereof and straight edges at the front and rear thereof inclined upwardly and inwardly from said bottom longitudinal edge toward said upper longitudinal edge and short straight edges at the front and rear thereof angularly disposed and inclined downwardly with respect to said upwardly inclined edges and connecting said upwardly inclined edges and said curving upper longitudinal edges, said sections being secured to each other along their curving upper longitudinal edges, and fastening means carried on the front and rear portions of said complemental sections and adapted to be detachably engaged with cooperating fastening means on an undergarment at the lower portions of the front and rear thereof.

3. A crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to an undergarment and to be maintained thereon without wrinkling or folding when said undergarment is being worn comprising two fabric sections, each section having an upper longitudinal edge curving inwardly and downwardly from its end portions to substantially conform to the curvature of the center line of the wearers crotch, a bottom longitudinal edge curving downwardly and inwardly from its end portions so as to extend diagonally upwardly on the wearers leg at the front and rear thereof and straight edges at the front and rear thereof inclined upwardly and inwardly from said bottom longitudinal edge toward said upper longitudinal edge, said sections being secured to each other along their curving upper longitudinal edges, and a plurality of spaced fastening means carried on both the front and rear portions of said sec-. tions and adapted to be detachably engaged with cooperating fastening means on an undergarment at the lower portions of the front and rear thereof, said fastening means being secured to said crotch piece adjacent its front and rear upper extremities and adjacent each of the corners formed by the intersection of the bottom curved longitudinal edges with the upwardly inclined edges.

4. An undergarment comprising a body girdle having an open crotch at the bottom portion thereof, a crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to said girdle to cover and close said crotch opening, said crotch piece being comprised of two complemental sections having upper longitudinal edges curving inwardly and downwardly from their end portions to substantially conform to the center line of the wearers crotch, bottom longitudinal edges curving downwardly and inwardly from their respective end portions so as to extend diagonally upwardly on the wearers legs at the front and rear thereof and straight edges at the front and rear thereof inclined upwardly and inwardly from said bottom longitudinal edge toward said upper longitudinal edges, said sections being secured to each other along their curving upper longitudinal edges, and fastening means for detachably securing said crotch piece to said girdle over the crotch opening comprising fastening elements secured to said crotch piece at its front and rear upper extremities and adjacent each of the corners formed by the intersections of the bottom curved longitudinal edges with the upwardly inclined edges, and cooperating fastening elements carried on the lower front and rear portions of the girdle adjacent the crotch opening and adapted to be detachably engaged by the fastening elements of the crotch piece, said cooperating fastening elements being secured to the girdle in spaced relationship corresponding to the spaced relationship of the fastening elements on the crotch piece.

5. An undergarment comprising a body portion and leg portions adapted to closely fit a wearers body and legs, the body and leg portions being cut away to provide a crotch opening and to provide leg bands adapted to extend around the wearers legs below the crotch, a crotch piece adapted to be detachably secured to said body portion to cover and close said crotch opening, said crotch piece being comprised of two complemental sections having inwardly curving longitudinal edges, outer longitudinal edges and edges at the front and rear thereof inclined inwardly and upwardly from said outer longitudinal edges toward said inner longitudinal edges, said sections being secured to each other along their inner longitudinal edges and being of suflicient Width to extend downwardly and outwardly from the central portion of the crotch in close flush-fitting relation with the wearers leg and the leg bands to a point slightly below the top edges of said leg bands in overlapping relation therewith, and fastening means for detachably securing said crotch piece to said garment body portion over the crotch opening comprising spaced fastening elements secured to said crotch piece at its front and rear upper extremities and downwardly and outwardly from said upper extremities adjacent each of the corners formed by the intersections of the outer longitudinal edges with the upwardly inclined edges and cooperating fastening elements carried on the lower front and rear portions of the garment body portion adjacent the crotch opening and adapted to be detachably engaged by the fastening elements of the crotch piece, said cooperating fastening elements being secured to the garment body portion in spaced relationship corresponding to the spaced relationship of the fastening elements on the crotch piece and said fastening elements adjacent each of said corners serving to maintain the sections of the crotch piece in extended, unwrinkled position against the wearers leg and the leg bands.

GEORGE L. DIEBOLD.

REFERENCES CITED 'Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,305,736 Rhea Dec. 22, 1942 2,323,451 Buelinger July 6, 1943 2,377,050 Sutter May 29, 1945 

